Wellington, Cheryl

Dr. Wellington is a basic research scientist whose research interests focus on three common genetic and environmental risk factors for dementia, including apolipoprotein E (apoE) metabolism, history of traumatic brain injury (TBI), and cerebrovascular dysfunction.

Dr. Wellington is internationally recognized for her work on lipid and lipoprotein metabolism in the brain, and her group has made key contributions to the understanding of the role of apolipoprotein E (apoE) in Alzheimer’s Disease. ApoE is the major cholesterol carrier in the brain and the best established genetic risk factor for typical late-onset Alzheimer’s Disease. ApoE also plays a critical role in repair of damaged neurons after TBI. Dr. Wellington’s program also is closely linked with initiatives exploring the contributions of the vascular system and metabolic disease to dementia.

Additionally, Dr. Wellington’s group has recently developed an entirely novel, non-surgical animal model of concussion that for the first time, accurately mimics the biomechanics and the neuropathology of human head injury. Her current research projects include drug discovery efforts to increase apolipoprotein function in the brain for application to both Alzheimer’s Disease and TBI, understanding how movement of the head and brain after TBI correlate with behavioural and neuropathological outcomes, and tissue engineering approaches to investigate cerebrovascular function in health and disease.